Window construction.



M. L. BROWN.

WINDOW CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1912.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- 1% 8 wcmjllLw/zh Brawn PM Zy M. LEWIS BROWN, OF NILES, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO KAWNEER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NILES, MICHIGAN.

WINDOW CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1912. Serial No. 693,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, M. LEWIS BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niles, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Window Constructions, of which the followin is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a window construction comprising metal parts of special shape grouped and united together in novel manner, for holding glass, the construction preferably comprising a plurality of sections or units grouped as desired and secured together as by welding, or other similar methods.

The complete window sash, if of large size, may be regarded as a rigid metal framework, made up of component metal elements or component unit sections, free from rivets and bolts and welded together in such a way that the entire structure is durable and economical and can easily be installed and assembled.

The various advantages of my invention will be apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,-

wherein embodiments of my invention are illustrated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a building equipped with windows constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a group of units such as may be used in building up the window structure of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a corner or joint at which four units meet.

Fig. 4 is a section through two units, showing the glass held in normal position.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form of unit having several panes of glass yieldingly held against the outer flange of the frame-work.

Fig. 6 illustrates a third modification, wherein a plurality of window panes are used.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, each sash is rigidly mounted in the side of the building, and a group of such sashes, as for instance sashes 1, 2 and 3 of Fig. 1, may be regarded as making up substantially the entireend wall of a building. The sashes vary in size as desired, and portions of a sash may be mounted to swing in any suitable manner to afford ventilation for the The window frame construction illustrated in Fig. 1 may be built up in various ways and the metal parts may be of welded strips in cross sections. -However, the cons'truction illustrated in Fig. 4 is well suited to the purposes of this invention and may therefore be described in detail as constituting one embodiment of the invention herein claimed.

The .metal arts shown in section in Fig. 4 and shown 1n perspective in Fig. 3 may be made up by drawing metal strips or blanks through dies, until they assume the cross section shown in Fig. 4. This cross section 1s characterized by flat bearing surfaces 5 and 6 on which the window panes 7 and 8 may be seated and a central U-shaped channel 9 raised above the bearing surfaces 5 and 6 in position to serve as a spacer for the Window panes and offering at its side surfaces 10 and 11 suitable bearings for the sides of the panes. The drawn metal parts also have short up-standing flanges 12 and 13 at the extreme outer edges serviceable for retaining the stops or putty 14 and 15, whereby the window panes are held firmly seated against the side walls 10 and 11 of the spacing channel 9.

Before the glazing has been effected, as shown in Fig. 4, a metal strip is cut to proper length and made up intoa rectangle,

as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. To permit this bending, the central channel 9 is notched at 16 and the side flanges 12 and 13 are notched as at 17 (Fig. 3) but the bearing surfaces 5 and 6 are left intact and nearly bent at a right angle, as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of the metal strip used in making up one of the rectangular units need not be united, but may be merely placed. end to end as indicated at 18, Fig. 2. These joints are preferably located near the center of one of the sides of the rectangular frame or unit and the units are preferably grouped with respect to one another, so that these joints are staggered.

To build up a complete window sash out of the rectangular units above described, they may be laced side'by side and end to end and we ded together either electrically or otherwise, as at the areas 19 and 20 of Fig. 4 and 21, 22 and 23 of Fig. 3. N0 bolts or rivets need be used as the welding operation can be made so thorough that the entire window, sashbecomes in effect one complete integral structure.

It will be understood that in building up a complete window sash, the cross section of the metal strips may be welded in different ways, and that different methods may be followed in shaping and uniting those metal strips into a rigid and integral structure adapted to receive and support the glass, but the specific embodiment just described will serve to make clear one way of applying my invention to a useful purpose.

After the sash has been built up by suitably assembling and welding together the component metal parts, the glass panes can be Slipped into place from the front and from the back and secured to the metal members with putty or with stops, as shown in Fig. 4. The glass panes may be of varying thickness, size of shape in accordance with the particular configuration of the metal frame-Work.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 5 makes use of drawn metal parts, of a shape somewhat different from that illustrated in Fig. 4. These metal parts include a high yielding side flange 24 with a groove 25 for holding putty or a stop and with their flat held through bearing area 26 terminating at its bearing side in a raised and somewhat curved edge 27. Bent strips 28 may be used as resilient spacers between adjacent panes of glass to give a dead air space between them and to permit ready assembly or dismantling of the window.. The innermost pane is held in position by a drawn metal rim 29 having an inturned flange with a reversely curved edge 7 30 yieldingly gripping the curved edge 27 of the metal strip.

This modification has the special advantage that the glazing may be done all from the inside of the building, for after the first window pane 31 has been crowded against the putty or stop in the yielding side. flange 24, the bent strips 28 and additional panes of glass may b e slipped in alternately and finally the clampingframe 29 can be pushed into position and there will be yieldingly engagement between the curved edges 27 and 30. Bolts,-rivets, set screws, and the like need not be used. The structure has the obvious advantage of good thermal insulation and can be used effectively in refrigerating plants and in places where the fire hazard is great.

The metal members illustrated in section in Fig. 5 may be bent up as rectangular units and may be welded one to another as described in connection with the modification of Fig. 4 or they may be shaped and assembled in other suitable ways.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 6 makes use of a metal strip which has not only the glass supporting surfaces 32 and 33, and the rip-standing side bearing areas 34 and 35 but also has supplemental glass supporting surfaces 36 and 37 separated by an up-standing channel or spacing member 38 comparable in form and position to the spacing channel 9 of Fig. 4. Also the metal strip of Fig. 6 has upstanding ledges or projections 39 and 40 serving to retain in position stops or putty 41, whereby the innermost glass panes 42 are held against the side surfaces of the central spacing channel 39. In this modification as in Fig. 4, putty or stops may be used at 43 to hold the glass panes in position. Although the metal members illustrated in cross section in Fig. 6 may be bent up and welded together as described in connection with the members of Figs. 4 and 5, other methods of assembly may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

" What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a sectional pane support, a metal frame member having a flat bottom, an integrally formed high-yielding flange at one end thereof, an outwardly and inwardly curved portion at the other edge thereof and a readily detachable yielding member having a clamping engagement with and carried by said outwardly and inwardly curved portion and adapted to clamp one or more panes of glass against said highyielding member, substantiallysas described.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a rectangular metallic member provided with a flange at one side thereof and with a deflected portion at the other side thereof, a clamping member curved to conform with said deflected portion and engageable directly thereupon so as to be entirely supported thereby,

said clamping member when applied to said deflected member being adapt- I M. LEWIS BROWN.

, Witnesses:

W. S. FRENCH, P. F. CAMERON. 

